‘[Semite] Sweet’ Chocolate Exhibit Is Perfect Valentine’s Day Excursion
The last time I was in a gallery that smelled distinctly and deliciously of chocolate I was in Barcelona visiting Museu de la Xocolata. That is, until this week, when I entered the Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica at Temple Emanu-El on New York’s Upper East Side (where my grandparents were members), to check out the exhibit “[Semite] Sweet: On Jews And Chocolate.” Co-curated by frequent Forward contributor Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz, the exhibit offers a fascinating, immersive account of the Jewish history of chocolate making and merchandising, and the significant role Jews of the Diaspora played in bringing chocolate to France, America, and other places around the globe.
I couldn’t help thinking that this exhibit would make for a fun — and Jewish — way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a loved one. A fascinating combination of objects, artifacts — Albert Einstein’s chocolate cup from childhood! — and documents bring the history of Jews and chocolate to life.
Prinz, who is the author of the book “On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao” (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2017), offers more information about the exhibit here.
The gallery is open Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Closed to the public on Jewish holidays. Admission is free.
Liza Schoenfein is food editor of the Forward. Contact her at schoenfein@forward.com or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.